In the early 1980s, fruit grower Theo Verhofstede was one of the first in Flanders to grow fruit in an integrated manner. In 1986, his apple and pear orchards in full harvest period were hit by a devastating storm and hailstorm. The damaged fruit was no longer salable. Theo Verhofstede decided to process the fruits into juice. A small press was purchased and 3,000 bottles of apple juice and apple-pear juice were produced. The first Verhofstede fruit juice was immediately born!